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Not claiming to be Donald trump rich, you just asked what I do, so I answered. Just saying I've been around the block more than once, just not in the welding world.

In all honesty, not trying to stir the pot, just trying to learn more about welding and I got caught up in this Internet bs. No hard feelings on my end, sorry if I came off like a d***.

No problem, I do it all the time.

I see you really didn't claim to personaly make what my meager wages amount to in several decades but said you worked on projects that amount to decades of my meager wages.

I don't work for wages, but that aside we did have several thousand hours on the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge, a 200 million + project.
Now THAT would take me many decades to make on my personal income. I'm sure you've got that beat by a fair bit tho cause you're a general. I was a Private First Class once. Pretty dadgum good one too, imo only. But never a general.

i really don't know anything about welding but would take some odds on a guy with the wire. I also was a career stick welder but have ran innershield back in the day,,,, 7018 on steroids and then some, this was the stuff JT talks of,,,, hi numbers, hi quality all out of position, hi inspection. Making it so much faster and controllable, 2x the hp, made it better, no stops unless you want, run a 5 minute pass at 400a or more up hill.

Having said that my own portable is sticks, the welding is such a minor time factor its not worth the cost and complication.

As for smaller stuff, heck cant really keep up with a common feeder sc with 035 vs 7018 5/32, feeder iseris so much less tedious in every way, just the mess alone is worth another machine in the shop.

The numbers can even add up in a hurry there if one is reasonable busy. For small work a 211 is great and I do 90% of my work with one but when I had an easy opportunity to track some cost in both consumables and labdidn't didnt take long to make a new 250 with as small as change in wire as a move to 035 about doubled speed and half the cost due to larger gas bottle and large spool of wire,,, whicuslet os fill joint faster further reducing gas on hours,,, no brainer, where rubber hits the road for a comparison,,, buying new specialized with more power pays,,, so essentially got to hang on every word JT says about it as being as close to gospel as it gets. .

I saw a job a while back, a repair done with sticks and engine drives. It was fine, it got done but one of the first things on my mind would have been scoring like the next day a couple 3ph electrics you can buy at will used and a 25 ft cord to 480 that was unused. Toss a couple on old trailer, even rental may have made sense.

wrong

Originally Posted by Daniel

An F550 weight is around 7500 pounds and has a rating of 17000 pounds, plenty of room to put a Big blue airpak. A trailblazer is too small for heavy duty equipment repair, it will do it, but you'll have to run that TB302 at maximum steady.

First an f550 chassis bare weights 7500 to 9000. Now add a srv body, crane, compressor, welde r, tools, and oil your at 17 to 18k. As for a tb302 being to small for heavy equipment repair may i ask have you done it? I have been doing this for 15 years, and its plenty of welder. Also in what world are you going to do field repair service and not have a truck with crane and compressor. Makes me think you either behind a desk, or an oil changer.
Kevin

Suitcase

Stick welding has its place, however if I can get a suitcase gun near it I'm going too smoke a stick welder. Carrying a suitcase around to weld bar joists is not practical, far easier to drag lead and stinger. Years ago I was on a job burning a full can of rod a day for two weeks. I told my boss to get me a suitcase and let me learn the process. I finally got one and learned it rapidly. We were welding a huge frame up and I smoked 4 stick welders. Its a balancing act. If I'm repairing equipment out comes the 232 innershield .072 and I can rapidly make my repairs.

f550

I used to have a Chevy C30 with a loaded bed and a SAM 400 Lincoln. No crane.
It was too heavy, but served it's purpose for several years.

What size crane? What kind of body? I have a 2002 maintainer body, the body weights 3900lbs, the crane 6000lb 3126 weighs in at 2200 lbs, loaded up im at 17800. Also a vantage 300 hardly puts out more amps then a 302 trailblazer.
Kevin

First an f550 chassis bare weights 7500 to 9000. Now add a srv body, crane, compressor, welde r, tools, and oil your at 17 to 18k. As for a tb302 being to small for heavy equipment repair may i ask have you done it? I have been doing this for 15 years, and its plenty of welder. Also in what world are you going to do field repair service and not have a truck with crane and compressor. Makes me think you either behind a desk, or an oil changer.
Kevin

His idea of heavy equipment might be different than yours

"I have to say, I work in a mine that has 4 P&H shovel, 2 Cat shovel with 4 D10 and 2 D11 dozer not counting many grader with 1 that is the biggest you can get 24 feet blade and many excavators etc etc... and if you get cut sticking you would be laughed at and my foreman would be giving me the hairy eye brows."

A Vantage 300 will put out about 400A all day every day for many years. A V400 will put out over 500A all day every day for many years.
Those machines have industrial 4 cyl diesels that go well over 10,000 hrs before the first overhaul. Comparing them to a Trailblazer is just goofy.

I'm not knocking trailblazers but you are talking about two completely different class' of equipment here just like a komatsu home tractor vs a caterpillar.

Both Vantages will power your RV while welding 100% duty cycle at 385A and only need fuel every 3 days or so.

J

I'll add that the trailblazer guys will be here soon, telling you it'll do it all.
My only take is that they aren't doing it 60+ hrs/week or they'd buy a bigger machine with a industrial diesel.

Originally Posted by Tryagn5

What size crane? What kind of body? I have a 2002 maintainer body, the body weights 3900lbs, the crane 6000lb 3126 weighs in at 2200 lbs, loaded up im at 17800. Also a vantage 300 hardly puts out more amps then a 302 trailblazer.
Kevin

I missed a bunch of what you said to JT, It was deleted by the time I came back to this post.

I tried giving you some advise about a crane on the truck in another post just to have you tell me that you dont need one even though You say you weld on heavy equipment.

I started welding out of my garage in 1986, Got a welding truck in 1988 and then a shop by 1989 so that 27 years of experience.
So I dont understand why you would say that you dont need a crane when we are both in the same kind of business and I use mine at least once a week and sometimes every day depending on what job we are doing.

So now I read all of this and see your trying to tell a Highly respected member such as JTMc that he's wrong. ( Keep in mind I have to read between the lines because most everything has been deleted ).

I hope this can be a lesson learned that with you only having 3 years of business experience that you should listen to some of us guys that have decades of experience and are willing to give you good advise ( For Free )
Trust me when JTMc and I got started out there was no INTERNET and no free advise.
In my case I had no one to learn from other than when I would run into a veteran at the welding supply house that I might ask a question to and you can bet I was very polite and kept my ears open ( There were also a couple welding shops that I would get steel from that might also give me a tip or 2 from time to time.)
And you can bet that 98% of it was trial and error with my hood down.

WeldonWelding, You have alot of guys here with alot of knowlege, use it to your benefit and try to be a little more respectful. Good luck.